INDIAN cricket chiefs select their team for the first Test against England on Wednesday, but there are doubts whether the series will go ahead.

Indian cricket chief Jagmohan Dalmiya says he wants to make peace with the International Cricket Council.

But there appears to be a stalemate over India's 'unofficial' Test in South Africa, which could threaten England's tour.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India are proposing to ask the ICC to make the Centurion Test against South Africa official. They are also discussing the position of Virender Sehwag, who was banned for one match by match referee Mike Denness for excessive appealing.

The ICC refused to remove Denness for the final Test against India and South Africa. The match went ahead, but the ICC have refused to recognise it as an official Test.

Now, the knock-on effect of the Indians omitting Sehwag from the ongoing match in Johannesburg could be that the future of the England tour here comes into question.

Dalmiya has refused to accept the ruling that the current encounter is an unofficial Test, contrary to the insistence of the ICC. So batsman Sehwag, a century maker against South Africa on Test debut, is, in Indian eyes, serving his one-Test ban.

But the ICC's ruling means he will still have to miss the Mohali match, the first Test against England on December 3. Thus, if he was picked in India's squad, selected on Wednesday, England's first Test of the winter would also be deemed unofficial. Following England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Lord MacLaurin's backing of the sport's governing body, that scenario would almost certainly result in the cancellation of the match.

England start a final warm-up match against India A on Tuesday.

Dalmiya, meanwhile, has said he will attempt to work out the issue with the ICC. But he has just 48 hours to do so.